Two hundred thousand Rotis - Chapattis (Indian flat bread), 1.5 tons of Daal (lentil soup) and free food served to 100,000 people every single day are what makes the free kitchen run at the Golden Temple in the western Indian city of Amritsar stand apart.

By all measures, the kitchen (called Langar in Punjabi ) is one of the largest free kitchens to be run anywhere in the world. The concept of langar was initiated centuries ago by Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion. Sunday, November 17, 2013 was his 545th birth anniversary.

At the Langar, no one goes hungry - and everybody gets a hot meal regardless of caste, creed and religion. All Sikh Gurudwaras (places of worship) have Langar, but the one at Golden Temple - Sikhs' holiest shrine - has little parallel.

"Anyone can eat for free here and on an average we serve food to 100,000 people. On weekends and special occasions double the numbers of people visit the langar Hall. The langar never stops and on an average 7,000 kg of wheat flour, 1,200 kg of rice, 1,300 kg of lentils, 500 kg of ghee (clarified butter) is used in preparing the meal every day," says Harpreet Singh, manager of this huge kitchen.

"The free kitchen uses firewood, LPG gas and electronic bread makers for the cooking and we use around 100 LPG cylinders and 5,000 kilograms of firewood every day," he adds.

The kitchen is run by 450 staff, helped by hundreds of other volunteers. Sanjay Arora, 46, from New Delhi, comes to volunteer at the langar two days every month. "This is KAR-SEVA (do-service) for me. I feel happy after doing this service. It's is not just free food, here you forget all the differences that separates humans from each other," he says.

Volunteers also wash the 300,000 plates, spoons and bowls used in feeding the people. The food is vegetarian and the expenses are managed through donations from all over the world. The yearly budget of the langar runs into hundreds of millions. One has to see it to believe.

/Showkat Shafi

Women play an important role in the preparation of meals. Volunteers make stacks of Rotis that will be served at the free kitchen.

/Showkat Shafi

The "langar" or free kitchen at Golden Temple in the Indian city of Amritsar is perhaps the world's largest free eatery.

The Langar or free kitchen was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak

/Showkat Shafi

Around one hundred thousand (100,000) people visit the langar every day and the number increases on weekends and special days.

/Showkat Shafi

People from all over the world who have FAITH in "SIKHISM" aspire to visit Golden temple at least once in their life time.

/Showkat Shafi

Everybody is welcome at the langar, no one is turned away.

It works on the principle of equality amongst people of the world regardless of their religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status.

/Showkat Shafi

People sit on the floor together as equals and eat the same simple food at the eating hall of the Golden Temple langar.

/Showkat Shafi

Langar teaches the etiquette of sitting and eating in a community situation.

/Showkat Shafi

People from any community and faith can serve as volunteers.

/Showkat Shafi

The lines of status, caste and class vanish at the langar. Everybody, rich or poor, is treated as equals.

/Showkat Shafi

The meal served is hot but simple: comprising roti (flat Indian bread), lentil soup and sweat rice.

/Showkat Shafi

The utensils are washed in three rounds to ensure that the plates are perfectly clean to be again used.

/Showkat Shafi

Running the kitchen also means washing and cleaning thousands of plates, bowls and spoons.

/Showkat Shafi

Some 450 staff and hundreds of volunteers help to run the kitchen.

/Showkat Shafi

Five thousand kilograms of fire wood is used every day for preparing the meals at this langar, that runs 24/7/365.

/Showkat Shafi

A Sikh volunteer prepares the dal (lentil soup) that will be served for the meals at the langar.

/Showkat Shafi

Around 200,000 Rotis are prepared every day at the langar which is served to the people.

/Showkat Shafi

Wheat flour being put in a contraption that acts like a dough maker. The dough will be used for making Rotis (Indian flat bread).

JALANDHAR: The " genocide petition" submitted by Sikh groups to United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on November 1 seeking investigation into the anti Sikh riots of November 1984 and declaring these are "genocide" has started garnering support from politicians of other countries also.

Harry van Bommel, Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party in The Netherlands, issued a declaration supporting the pending "1984 Sikh Genocide" complaint before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice - whether they are political leaders, police or government officials. "I am convinced that this petition will bring this goal nearer. For justice, it is never too late," he said.

"It is of extreme importance that an investigation by the UN can finally get to the facts about the massacre, though it is scandalous that India, 29 years after the fact, has not been able to deliver these facts itself. Even worse is that the proven involvement of Indian authorities in the killings of many thousands innocent men, women and children has not lead to convictions of those responsible," Netherlands MP said in the strong worded declaration.

"It is a big shame and unacceptable that today victims of this horrible episode in the history of India still wait for justice to be done," Bommel's statement in support of the petition said.

Notably a former minister and a former MP are still facing trial in the cases related to November 1984 massacre amid the allegations that justice had been delayed and denied in the last 29 years as the government machinery worked to save them and other high profile accused.

It may be recalled here that on November 1, a complaint was filed with UNHRC pursuant to resolution 5/1 urging it to investigate the systematic, intentional and deliberate killing of Sikhs carried out across India during the first week of November 1984 and to recognize these attacks as "genocide". The complaint was filed by Sikh groups including "Sikhs For Justice" ( SFJ), All India Sikh Students Federation ( AISSF), Movement Against Atrocities & Repression (MAR) and Gurudwara representatives across Europe and North America. The Complaint is likely to come up before the UN's "Working Group on Communications" by August 2014.

Rights groups to approach member countries

Meanwhile, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) legal Advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun announced that the rights groups would approach member countries of UN Working Group to urge them take up the complaint and hold hearing to allow the 1984 victims to present evidence related to Sikh Genocide.